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Saturday, October 24, 2020
In many places, the new crown measures agreed between the prime minister and Chancellor Merkel are just beginning to be implemented, but the discussion continues: Are the restrictions enough to avoid a complete lockdown? And: could it be a little more uniform?
Before Chancellor Angela Merkel and federal state prime ministers meet again next week, calls for stricter and, above all, more uniform crown rules will be stronger. Economy Minister Peter Altmaier, like Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder, spoke in favor of transferring more powers to the federal government if necessary. “The decisions of a single federal state can have an impact on all other federal states. That is why we urgently need more joint decisions,” he said in the newspapers of the Funke media group. “Either by all the states together or, where that is too cumbersome, at the federal level, where the states are definitely involved,” he added, apparently with a view to the Federal Council.
The Prime Minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Manuela Schwesig of the SPD, who is taking a particularly cautious and strict course in the pandemic, told the newspaper “Bild”: “I am concerned about the increase in the figures. from Corona We have to discuss at the Prime Minister’s Conference next week whether further steps are necessary. ”
Saarland Prime Minister Tobias Hans of the CDU also needs to speak, but wants to wait and see if the latest federal and state decisions will go into effect. His country quickly implemented them. “If these are enough it will be seen in the next ten to fourteen days. We should wait this long before taking further measures,” he also told the “Bild” newspaper.
Merkel was already dissatisfied with the resolutions of the previous round with the Prime Minister a week and a half ago. “Our announcements are not harsh enough to prevent us from disaster,” the CDU politician said during the deliberations, according to participants. A few days later, in a video call, he urged the population to refrain from unnecessary trips or celebrations and to stay home. Nationally, the number of new infections is now above the warning value of 50 per 100,000 inhabitants in seven days, in some regions even well above.
Lauterbach warns of “health emergency”
Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder, who is more in line with Merkel in the Corona crisis, wants to keep his course fairly strict despite mounting criticism. “I have no reason to change my course,” said the CSU chief of the “Augsburger Allgemeine.” “We were proven right in all of our fundamental evaluations.”
For SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach, there are only two options: voluntary contact restrictions for everyone or “always new forced closures.” “If the virus is allowed to spread, the numbers skyrocket so quickly that hospitals are overwhelmed and too many people die of corona,” said the epidemiologist who has been warning the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” for months. “So we have to close personal contacts very quickly so that we don’t wake up to a month-long health emergency.”
Vice Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his understanding for young people who are hungry for life. “I understand all those who savor each day to the fullest, who want to celebrate and meet friends,” said the finance minister and SPD chancellor candidate on the Watson news portal. But it takes patience. “The current restrictions on protection against Corona are annoying for many, depressing for others and also an unreasonable financial burden for others. Unfortunately, they are necessary to prevent worse things. We must continue to do everything possible to protect those we love and whose health is important for us “.
District council president Reinhard Sager pointed out the problems of many health authorities in tracking the mass of new infections. He called on the federal states to rapidly increase their staffing, as agreed in the summer. Based on the pact between the federal and state governments, “currently there have been no new appointments,” Sager told the “NOZ.” The pact must be implemented quickly. “On the part of the federal states, it has to be a matter of speed.”
